Fireflies are nature’s fireworks — July Nature Almanac

On this first Friday of July, we bring you the Nature Almanac and a trip to see Nature’s 4th of July spectacular fireworks — the Fireflies.

Wildfire dangers throughout Colorado are limiting highly flammable pyrotechnic Fourth of July celebrations, but one timeless “firework” is still available, and free for anyone who is a fan of venturing into Nature.

This special firework is all about the cool magic of a light that you can see best in wetlands, late at night.  It’s fireflies, out after dark in marshes and other damp areas throughout the mountain west.

Fireflies like the same habitat as mosquitoes. Naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman get out their mosquito net hats and gloves and, most of all, their bug spray to venture out where the sky is dark, and the magical wink of fireflies offers a unique way to celebrate the Fourth of July and the marvels of independent lives in Nature — in this case, the lives of fireflies

Nature Almanac airs the first Friday of each month on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.